Posts tagged US

The world's most valuable startup (for now) is finally getting ready to sell stuff in the United States, just... maybe not the stuff you were expecting. At an intimate media gathering in San Francisco, Xiaomi global VP Hugo Barra revealed that the buzzy Chinese phone maker will start selling its l...

According to CNN, NBC, and the New York Times, US officials will announce tomorrow that they've identified North Korea as the source behind a massive cyberattack against Sony Pictures. As a result of threats tied to the attack, Sony Pictures today cancelled the premiere of its upcoming movie The I...

Back in the day, when wars were won and lost by whoever had the biggest stick, the US reigned supreme. Nowadays, however, having the fastest jet isn't much use when hackers can attack you on a whim. That's why the Department of Defense has opened its doors to pitches from those outside the defense...

Climate change is still real, still happening and still terrifying, but thankfully it looks as if the US and China are listening to the UN's advice. The pair has announced a historic pact that sees both nations agreeing to begin reducing their carbon emissions by 2030 at the very latest. The US is...

China and the US may be at each other's throats over a lot of tech-related issues, but that hasn't stopped them from finding some common ground. The two nations have reached a tentative deal that expands the range of devices covered under the free trade-oriented Information Technology Agreement. T...

Not sure where your local politicians stand in the upcoming US midterm election? You won't have to vote blind. Microsoft has followed in Google's footsteps by launching Bing Elections, its own tool for helping you make informed decisions at the voting booth. The search-based tool lets you know can...

After the announcement that America's current CTO Todd Park was stepping down, rumors swirled that Google X VP Megan Smith would be next to take the reins. Well, the White House has just made that official -- the Washington Post reports that Smith was named the United States' Chief Technical Offic...

More than a year after Edward Snowden first spilled the beans on the NSA's digital surveillance practices, you wouldn't think that he had much left to reveal. In an interview with Wired, however, the former spy has revealed that the agency is building an autonomous online defense system that will,...

Lenovo has pulled all of its smaller Windows tablets from US shelves, citing a lack of demand. The world's largest Windows computer maker had two models on the market: the 8-inch, stylus-equipped Miix 2 and the ThinkPad 8. A spokesman told PC World that it'll shuttle remaining stock of both of tho...

When we reviewed Sony's Xperia Z1 Compact, we concluded that it's exactly what a miniature flagship should be: big features in a small package. But despite the handset's many merits, Sony hasn't so far managed to offer it through any carriers in the US. Instead, starting today, it's selling the Z1...

Germany is irked that the NSA spied on its officials (including its Chancellor), and today it responded by hitting the US where it really hurts: the pocketbook. The German Ministry of the Interior has decided against renewing a Verizon internet service contract that expires in 2015, in no small pa...

Though "strip-search" backscatter X-ray machines were pulled from US airports for privacy reasons, the tech has found a new home in the MINI Z portable scanner. Made by American Science and Engineering (AS&E), it displays see-through images on a Windows tablet PC from low-intensity backscatter...

It's one thing to come up with a clever product idea, but it's something else to actually build it; it can be tough to find the materials you need, let alone the tools to put everything together. That's where a new round of White House initiatives might just lend a helping hand. As part of its ope...

Following its decision to charge five Chinese officials for allegedly stealing trade secrets, the US is apparently ready to take further action. Reuters reports that the US government may impose visa restrictions on Chinese computer experts, stopping them from attending the high-profile Def Con an...

Text-to-911 became available in select markets today. As the name implies, the service allows you to text your emergency to first responders rather than call. There's just one issue: it doesn't work in most places. The list of supported cities is so small in fact, you should probably just assume t...

Hold onto your sat nav. The Russian government has just threatened to end cooperation with America on major space projects, including maintenance of the GPS system. The policy will also prevent NASA from accessing the International Space Station from 2020, as well as blocking the supply of compone...

US government spending data can be a pain to track down; while much of it is publicly accessible, it's scattered across many agencies that have their own ways of presenting information. Soon, though, you won't have hunt for it at all. The recently signed DATA (Digital Accountability and Transparen...

At long last, BMW's eco-friendly i-series cars are reaching US buyers. The automaker has delivered its first all-electric i3 models to a handful of Americans that include both loyal ActiveE driver Charles Rabie as well as Ashlan Gorse Cousteau, the wife of documentary maker Philippe Cousteau Jr. A...

The United States government puts hundred of billions toward military spending to fighting terrorism each year, but it's also putting social media to work combating Al-Qaeda and other extremists. In a report released today, the US State Department revealed that its Center for Strategic Counterterr...

The US Supreme Court just gave judges a little more leverage to punish patent trolls: it defined the word "exceptional." A provision of federal patent law hinged on the definition of the word, stating that the court could charge a lawsuit's losing party with the winner's attorney fees in "exceptio...